Doha, Qatar: Qatar has ranked first globally and regionally in the General Infrastructure and Tertiary Inbound Mobility indicators in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The results showed Qatar’s advancement across several key pillars, advancing two places globally and ranking among the top three regionally in the Human Capital and Research pillar, as well as ranking among the top three regionally in both the Institutions and Infrastructure pillars.
In the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, Qatar maintained its position among the world’s top ten countries in the ICT Access indicator. Furthermore, Qatar advanced 7 places globally and ranked among the top three regionally in the Market Sophistication pillar, and advanced 32 places globally and ranked among the top three regionally in the Business Sophistication pillar.
Qatar also advanced 5 places globally in the Knowledge and Technology Outputs pillar and rose two places, placing among the top three regionally in the Creative Outputs pillar. Qatar’s performance in the index continues its upward trajectory for the sixth consecutive year, advancing 23 places since the 2020 edition, from 70th to 47th globally in 2026. This reflects efforts across state entities and institutions to build an integrated innovation ecosystem, particularly in infrastructure, education, and digital access.
Commenting on Qatar’s advancement in the Global Innovation Index, Assistant Secretary-General for Council Affairs at the National Planning Council (NPC), Abdulaziz Ahmed Al-Fehani, said: “Qatar’s sixth consecutive year of advancement in the Global Innovation Index is the result of joint national efforts across the country’s various sectors. The quality of national data submitted to international organizations plays a significant role in highlighting the efforts of Qatar’s innovation ecosystem.
The progress we have achieved today in infrastructure, digital transformation, and education reinforces our next goal: transforming these enablers into innovative and economic outputs and empowering entrepreneurs and innovators in science and technology to contribute to the nation’s global competitiveness in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
For his part, Secretary-General of the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council, Eng. Omar Ali Al Ansari, said: “Qatar’s advancement of 23 places in the Global Innovation Index since 2020, and its continued rise in the rankings for the sixth consecutive year, reflect the progress of the country’s research, development and innovation ecosystem. This progress is the result of integrated efforts that have expanded opportunities to fund innovation, test and deploy solutions across various sectors, attract talent and expertise, and develop platforms and programs that connect innovators, researchers and investors with opportunities in Qatar.”
